Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer tumors. Comparisons between TNBC and non-triple negative breast cancer (nTNBC) may help to differentiate key components involved in TNBC neoplasms. The purpose of the study was to analyze the expression profile of TNBC versus nTNBC tumors in a homogeneous population from northeastern Mexico. A prospective study of 50 patients was conducted (25 TNBC and 25 nTNBC). Clinic parameters were equally distributed for TNBC and nTNBC: age at diagnosis (51 vs 47 years, p=0.1), glucose levels (107 mg/dl vs 104 mg/dl, p=0.64), and body mass index (28 vs 29, p=0.14), respectively. Core biopsies were collected for histopathological diagnosis and gene expression analyses. Total RNA was isolated and expression profiling was performed. 40 genes showed differential expression pattern in TNBC tumors. Among these, 9 over-expressed genes (PRKX/PRKY, UGT8, HMGA1, LPIN1, HAPLN3, and ANKRD11), and one under-expressed (ANX9) gene are involved in general metabolism. Based on this biochemical peculiarity, and the over-expression of BCL11A and FOXC1 (involved in tumor growth and metastasis, respectively) we validated by qPCR the expression profile of 7 genes out of the signature. In this report, a new gene signature for TNBC is proposed. To our knowledge, this is the first TNBC signature which describes genes involved in general metabolism. The findings may be pertinent for Mexican patients and require to be evaluated in further ethnic groups and populations.

Background: Fluoropyrimidines form the chemotherapy backbone of advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). These drugs are frequently associated with toxicity events that result in dose adjustments and even suspension of the treatment. The thymidylate synthase (Methods: Variants namely rs45445694, rs183205964, rs2853542 and rs151264360 ofResults: The 2R/2R (rs45445694) was associated with clinical response (p=0.05, odds ratio (OR)=3.45) and severe toxicity (p=0.0014, OR=5.21, from pooled data). Expression analysis in tumor tissues suggested a correlation between the 2R/2R genotype and lowConclusions: The allele 2R (rs45445694) predicts severe toxicity and objective response in advanced CRC patients. In addition, the alleles G(rs2853542) and 6bp-(rs151264360) are independent predictors of response failure to chemotherapy. This is the first study made on a Latin American population that points out

To analyze the distribution of CYP2D6 variants in two ethnically-related Mexican Native and Mestizo populations cohabitating the same econiche and their relationships with a distant Mestizo community. 314 volunteers were genotyped for CYP2D6 gene variants (*2, *3, *4, *6, *10, *13, *17, *35 and *41) using predesigned TaqMan probes. CYP2D6*5 and CYP2D6 wtxN were assessed by XL-PCR. CYP2D6*1, *2, *4 and *10 variants represented above 80.9% of total alleles. Chiapanecan communities showed low allele diversity compared with the northeastern population. Principal component analyses demonstrated clustering of both Mestizo populations. Variants associated to ultrarapid and poor metabolism were rare in Natives. Sharing of CYP2D6 alleles in both Chiapanecan populations suggests an ongoing gene-flow. Original submitted 8 December 2014; Revision submitted 13 February 2015.

Thermal diffusivity of human serum and plasma were measured by means of thermal lens spectroscopy. Several samples were studied and results were reported as averages, including standard deviations. The serum and plasma were obtained by random sampling of healthy adult donors at the Guanajuato State Transfusion Center, Mexico; the donors were free of hepatitis, AIDS, and other infectious diseases, all clinically tested. The parameters reported were obtained using the thermal lens aberrant model with the lasers arranged in the mismatched mode.

This paper presents an exploratory analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 32 species in the subphylum Vertebrata, divided in 7 taxonomic classes. Multiple stochastic parameters, such as the Hurst and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exponents, Shannon entropy, and Chargaff ratio are computed for each DNA sequence. The biological interpretation of these parameters leads to defining a triplet of novel indices. These new functions incorporate the long-range correlations, the probability of occurrence of nucleic bases, and the ratio of pyrimidines-to-purines. Results suggest that relevant regions in mtDNA can be located using the proposed indices. Furthermore, early results from clustering algorithms indicate that the indices introduced might be useful in phylogenetic studies.

Introducción. La enfermedad de Chagas es endémica en Latinoamérica y es causada por el parásito Trypanosoma cruzi. Los vectores son chinches de la subfamilia Triatominae. En México, se han identificado unas 31 especies y en Nuevo León existen seis especies en 23 de los 51 municipios del estado. Objetivo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue documentar nuevos registros de triatominos en el municipio de General Zuazua, Nuevo León. Materiales y métodos. La colecta de triatominos se realizó en una zona semi-urbana del municipio de General Zuazua, Nuevo León. En dos puntos de colecta separados por 150 m, se colocaron trampas tipo pantalla blancas de 1.5 x 1.5 m, iluminadas con luces blancas LED en horario de 1800 a 0700 h. Se registraron variables ambientales como temperatura del aire, temperatura del suelo, velocidad del aire, humedad relativa en cada sitio usando un termo-anemómetro. Los especímenes colectados fueron resguardados en recipientes de plástico de 30 ml de capacidad al cual se le añadió papel filtro circular en la base y una tira de papel filtro arreglado de forma acordeón. La chinche Paratriatoma lecticularia fue mantenida viva en el laboratorio y fue alimentada dos veces con sangre de ratón y las heces fueron examinadas para la búsqueda de tripromastigote metacíclico de Trypanosoma cruzi. Resultados. Se capturaron dos especies de triatominos Paratriatoma lecticularia y Triatoma gerstaeckeri. Conclusión. Ambas especies son nuevos registros para el municipio de General Zuazua, Nuevo León.